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February 2012

February 26, 2012

A while ago, I stumbled upon this beautiful yet haunting illustration. Not knowing anything more than a title, In for the Night, I spent some time researching on the web, until eventually I found out the name of the artist, and was delighted to discover more of his amazing work.

He is a German artist/illustrator by the name of Quint Buchholz, and judging by the quirky style and subjects of his work, it's easy to guess that he has illustrated many childrens' books throughout his career.

The muted colour palettes, the subtle graininess of the paint and paper, the perfect use of white space in elegant compositions - I could stare at his paintings for hours, lost in contemplation.

Man on a ladder, 1992

Lighthouse in fog, 1997 (my favourite!)

Ponte Isolato, 1996

The meaning of life, 1999

Morrow, 1998

Quint Buchholz's mastery of the watercolour technique is breathtaking - and the light, delicate nature of watercolour is the perfect choice for his whimsical subjects.

Having only just started out on my own artistic journey with watercolour, for me it's been serendipitous to stumble upon the work of Buchholz, and to look closely at how he has used colour, contrast, and space to create such astonishingly atmospheric illustrations. I've found that so much can be learnt by analysing and deconstructing the work of true masters in the medium.

And now that I've found his website, I can't wait to spend a little more time looking through his vast back-catalogue of work - I bet I'll find plenty to add to my 'Illustrationy goodness' Pinterest boards... ;)

This album shows some of the artworks I've done over the years, and covers a range of mediums including coloured pencil, charcoal, pastel, oils, watercolour, polymer clay, photography, architectural renderings, and a whole mix of others. 'Mix' is a good word...